Signposts on the Road Not Taken
by MikeJaffa
Summary: An old friend of T'Pol's and a young Argelian woman spell trouble for Hoshi and T'Pol. Slashy. Rated M for language and sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Signposts on the Road Not Taken

AUTHOR: MikeJaffa

SYNOPSIS: An old friend of T'Pol's and a young Argelian woman spell troublefor Hoshi and T'Pol. Slashy. Rated M for language and sexual situations. Hoshi/T'Pol, Hoshi/O. C. Set late in S1.

DISCLAMER: Enterprise is owned by CBS TV. I am not making any money off this fic.

8

8

8

8

8

Sub-Commander T'Pol sat on one of the two bunks in a cell in the brig of the Vulcan Starship *Vorka,* her eyes closed in meditation. She was the only prisoner in the cell block, the only occupant of the brig except for the guard manning a console by the door.

The door to the brig opened and a Vulcan woman in a Vulcan navy uniform entered. About T'Pol's age and just as attractive, she stopped on the other side of the cell's force field from the sub-commander. "T'Pol."

T'Pol opened her eyes and stood. "Captain T'Zara."

"There is no need for us to stand on ceremony, my old t'hy'la," T'Zara turned to the guard and nodded. The force field dropped. T'Zara entered the cell, and the force field went on again.

T'Zara said, "Please, sit." They sat on opposing bunks. "I have only just returned from a mission. I grieve with thee. Ensign Hoshi Sato was a capable young woman, one of their finest translators, I understand…"

"The finest, bar none," T'Pol interrupted. "Her death is a loss to Starfleet."

"She was a valuable officer."

"And a friend."

"And you…" T'Zara trailed off. "Forgive me. I did not wish to reopen the wound so soon. I shall appoint a legal advocate."

"I do not want an advocate. There is no defense."

"Not from what I have been told."

"You probably do not know the whole story."

"Indeed. But I want to help you. We saved each other's lives dozens of times in the old days. Please let me help you one more time. Tell me what happened."

"It is…difficult."

"I know. But it is between us."

"And a rather long story."

"I have time. Please. Begin when you are ready."

T'Pol took some deep breaths, then said, "On my advice, the captain had set a course for Risa, where I hoped the human crew would satisfy their sexual—and other—needs enough to improve their efficiency level. Our journey had been interrupted on two occasions, and I hoped we would complete the voyage without another one. As it happened, I was wrong…"


	2. Chapter 2

Hoshi Sato hung the towel on the hook outside her shower and pulled on the knee-length blue silk bathrobe. She entered the main part of her cabin, crossed to her closet, and removed what she thought of as 'toy box' from her shelf. Then she sat down on her bed and fished the 28-centimeter-long dildo out of the box. Today had been long and frustrating, and tonight would not be a night for bookish pursuits.

The intercom beeped. T'Pol's voice intruded: "Ensign? Am I disturbing you?"

It wasn't like T'Pol to show up after her watch, but Hoshi didn't mind. She leaned over to her night stand and tabbed the intercom button. "No, Sub-Commander. What can I do for you?"

"You are 52 minutes late for our meditation session. Is everything all right?"

"Oh shit!" Hoshi remembered it was Thursday night. Ever since that time weeks ago on the Klingon ship, when T'Pol had helped Hoshi quiet her fears, they had settled into the pattern where on Thursday nights, Hoshi would go to T'Pol's quarters and they would meditate together. It had become the high point of Hoshi's week, and she always looked forward to their appointment. But somewhere between the bridge and her cabin, with the day's frustrations still fresh in her mind, she had thought it was Friday. Hoshi jumped off the bed and hurried to the door. "No, I'm sorry. Come on in."

T'Pol entered, wearing her lavender pajamas and flip-flops, and holding a PADD. The door closed behind her.

Hoshi said, "I'm sorry, T'Pol! I forgot. For some reason, I thought it was Friday. Things were so crazy-"

T'Pol raised a hand. "The cause was sufficient. And Commander Tucker gave us a recap over dinner." The day had begun with *Enterprise* receiving a software update for the universal translator by subspace radio from Earth. No sooner had the new software been loaded than it had crashed. Hoshi had spent the day arguing with Starfleet and the software manufacturer, with Trip jumping through hoops to check the hardware before the software maker finally considered to think about entertaining the possibility the software had crashed and uploaded a patch.

"Listen," Hoshi said, "if you give me a couple of minutes, I can get changed and we can go back to your quarters."

"Why? If you wish to practice, we can do so here and now."

"Well, at least let me change."

"If you wish. And you can put your implement away."

"My what?" Hoshi looked down. She realized she was still holding the dildo. "This?"

"That is a a sexual implement commonly referred to as a dildo, is it not? I have researched human sexuality. You were planning to pleasure yourself. I apologize for disrupting your plans."

"No, T'Pol, it's fine. Like I said, I had a brain fart and thought it was Friday. Otherwise, I would have been there."

"May I see the implement?"

"Sure." Hoshi handed T'Pol the dildo.

The Vulcan eyed it clinically, as if she was studying a soil sample that had been brought up by a landing party. "So this is what a human penis looks like?" she asked.

"Yes," Hoshi said. She thought, 'This is insane!'

"Not too different from the Vulcan male's member. Are human males about this size when aroused?"

"Uh, some of them."

"I will have to look up what the average is." Then she read Hoshi's reaction. "Forgive me. Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Well, it's surprising. No offense, but you are the last person I would think of talking to about sex."

"None taken."

Hoshi gestured at the center of the room. "So, right there would work? I'll see if I have some spare pillows."

"Actually, I was thinking of lying in bed with you."

Hoshi laughed. "Good one. You're developing a sense of humor."

"I am not joking."

"Seriously?"

T'Pol handed Hoshi the PADD and explained, "Meditation may be practiced in many postures, and with varying levels of physical contact. On Earth, some adepts have experimented with combining Vulcan meditative disciplines with what humans refer to as platonic cuddling. Although human practitioners have been known to fall asleep, I thought it was an intriguing variation we could investigate. Furthermore, an old knee injury has flared up. It will be all right tomorrow, but for now, kneeling would be unwise. I would prefer to lie down even if you do not elect to lie with me."

Hoshi grimaced; she had some old martial arts injuries herself and could sympathize. "I can see why that would be a problem." She read the PADD. "No, it's ok T'Pol. I had a cuddle buddy once. Sure. I'd love to get into bed with you." Hoshi paused. "I hope that didn't come out wrong."

"What do you-"

The door chimed.

Without giving it a second thought, Hoshi said, "Come in."

The door slid opened and Trip entered. "Hey Sub-Commander, Hoshi. I wanted to let you know I've been over the com system and except for suit storage-" He broke off as his brain caught up to the fact that Hoshi was in a knee-length robe, T'Pol was wearing pajamas, and T'Pol was holding a dildo. "I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?"

T'Pol deadpanned, "Ensign Sato and I were about to get into bed for a period of cuddling and meditating."

"Cuddling and meditating in bed," Trip said, as if the words didn't fit his mouth. "Yeah…ok. Fine. G'night, ladies." He left.

Hoshi moaned, "Someone shoot me."

"Why?" T'Pol said. "Was I in error?"

"No, but you know what he was thinking! At least the captain didn't see this." The door chimed. "Come in."

Archer entered. "Ah, T'Pol. Trip told me I'd find you here. Tomorrow morning, I'll want to go over-" He took in the two women and the dildo T'Pol was holding. "I'm sorry. It can wait. Excuse me. Good night." He left.

Hoshi groused, "There is a God, and he hates me."

"Clearly this is something else for you to work on," T'Pol said. "You are anxious about your social standing among the crew. You cannot control what others think about you, Hoshi, only how you respond to it. In time, any misunderstanding the captain and commander have had will be cleared up, so it is not logical to be upset about it now."

"Yeah, you've got a point." Hoshi closed her eyes and pressed her index finger into her palm. Then she opened her eyes. "We're not doing anything, so no sense getting upset about it."

"Indeed. Shall we?"

"Sure. Make yourself comfortable."

T'Pol crossed to the bed and got under the covers, lying on her side with her back to the wall.

"Spooning," Hoshi said as she shed the robe, "nice." She put on a pair of panties and a night shirt with the *Eneterprise's* patch on it. Then she turned to her computer console. "I found some meditation music in the ship's library; I've been using it on my own. You mind?"

"No."

Hoshi selected the option she wanted, and the music started. She turned off all the lights except the ones in her bathroom, crossed to the bed, and frowned. "T'Pol."

"What?" T'Pol realized she was still holding the dildo. "Oh." She put it on the night table. Hoshi slid into bed with her back to T'Pol.

The Vulcan pulled the blankets over them and wrapped her arms around Hoshi's waste. "I hope I am not holding you too tightly."

"No, this is fine." She closed her eyes and sighed. "This would probably be great in your room, with all the candles and that incense. I love it in there. It's like a little slice of Vulcan."

T'Pol had closed her eyes. "An emotion-based judgement, but I agree with you about this practice. We can do it regularly from now on if you wish."

"Uh-huh." She chuckled. "And you were right. I don't care what the guys think. And it was kind of funny how they reacted. I wonder how Malcom-"

The door chimed and Malcom's voice came over the speakers. "Hoshi?"

"Speak of the devil," Hoshi said. "Come in."

The door slid open and Malcom Reed entered, holding a PADD. He looked exhausted. "Ah, Sub-Commander. Good, I won't have to chase you down later. With all that mucking about with the ship's software, I decided to check if there were any cybersecurity threats. Turned out the computer was loaded with all sorts of viruses and malware! I spent the last two hours cleaning it up, and I've proposed new cybersecurity measures."

T'Pol said, "That is a wise precaution, Lieutenant. If you draw up a proposal, we will present it to the captain tomorrow."

"Very good, Marm. Hoshi, I'll have procedures for you tomorrow, too. Meantime, be careful with any letters you get, even if they appear to be from someone you trust."

"Just like with email back home," Hoshi said. "I understand, Lieutenant."

"Right then. Good night, ladies." He turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Hoshi counted down, "Five, four, three, two, one."

The door chimed.

Hoshi called, "Come in!"

The door open. Reed stepped in. He turned on the lights and gawked at the bed.

T'Pol deadpanned, "Lieutenant? Is there something else?"

"No, I…I just…I didn't…"

T'Pol and Hoshi chorused, "We're meditating."

"Of course."

Hoshi said, "Get the lights on the way out?"

"What? Lights. Oh, yes. Good night." Malcom seemed to have trouble finding the lights, and the door was another challenge, but he left, leaving the two women alone in the dark room.

T'Pol asked, "How did you know he was going to come back?"

"Let me put it this way," Hoshi said: "there's a reason why sometimes, a dildo is the best boyfriend a girl can have."

8

8

When Trip, Archer, and T'Pol arrived on the bridge for their morning shifts, Hoshi and Malcom were already at their stations. T'Pol had spent three hours in Hoshi's cabin before returning to her room.

Hoshi didn't look away from her console as she said in Vulcan, "Good morning, Sub-Commander. How was breakfast?"

"Chef was up to his usual standard," T'Pol replied in kind.

"Did you discuss anything interesting?"

Neither Trip nor Archer nor Malcolm could speak Vulcan; that the two women were chatting away in the alien language got their attention. For their part, T'Pol and Hoshi acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

T'Pol said, "If you are referring to the events of last night, there was some reference to it, yes."

"Which you evaded."

"There was nothing to be evasive about, as you know."

"Still driving them crazy."

Archer said, "Ladies, I don't mean to interrupt, but is there anything you want to share?"

T'Pol said, "No."

Trip said, "I dunno, Captain. Speakin' Vulcan on the bridge, I feel like they're talking behind our backs."

T'Pol said, "In that case, Commander, continue to face us."

Malcolm put in, "Perhaps we should mandate English only on the bridge, for security."

"No, Malcolm," Archer said. "I don't think this is too big a violation…yet."

Hoshi said in Vulcan, "Did the captain drink all his orange juice?"

"Now that you mention it," T'Pol replied in kind, "he did not finish it. What about Malcolm?"

"Coffee and nothing but. He's going to-" She broke off and listened to her earpiece. She shifted to English. "Hello? Skiff pilot, please repeat….Yes, I am receiving you. This is the Earth starship *Enterprise.* Please standby. Captain, we're receiving a distress signal. I think I can get visual contact."

"On screen, Ensign."

The young woman who appeared on the screen had dark hair and wore a dark blue dress with a floral print…and a low neckline.

Archer said, "I'm Captain Archer of the starship *Enterprise.*"

"I am Leena," she said. "I am part of the entertainment troop based on the *Aniel* out of Argelius."

T'Pol interjected, "'Troop' is not an accurate description. Her ship is for all intents and purposes a flying brothel. She is a prostitute."

Leena got her back up. "I operate within the laws of whatever world I am operating on and only offer whatever services are allowed and even then only what the customer wants and no more. Captain. I need assistance. Or will you deny me because of your opinion of my profession?"

"No, of course not," Archer said. "What's your situation?"

"My propulsion system," Leena answered. "My warp drive started to have a problem, and I barely made an emergency landing before my impulse engines went, too. My life support is…acting strangely. And my long range communications is out, although the system says everything works."

Trip said, "Sounds like her dilithium chamber went a little wonkey. That could mess up her engines. Not sure about the com system."

Hoshi said, "I could take a look at it."

"I would be grateful for any assistance you can provide," Leena said.

Archer said, "Trip, Hoshi, take a shuttle pod once you have her coordinates."


	3. Chapter 3

The skiff had landed on a minshara class planet, on the beach of an ocean. The shuttlepod arrived just as the sun was rising. As Hoshi and Trip circled, they could see the gaudily painted ship was about three times the size of the shuttle pod, with two small nacelles on the end of delta wings.

Trip said, "Well, she does try to get attention, I'll grant her that." He consulted a sensor. "The good news is, the ocean has tides, but they're not going to be near that ship."

"At least something went right."

They landed ten yards next to the skiff. A hatch opened as they approached it and Leena was waiting for them. She was slim and about Hoshi's height. Trip noted that the cockpit had more than one seat. "Anyone with you?"

"Normally, my captain would send me with a bodyguard who is also the flight engineer, but I was returning from a good client of long standing. I didn't think there would be any trouble."

Hoshi chuckled. "That's when you usually run into it."

"Yeah," Trip said. "Nice to know it's not just us."

The cabin behind the cockpit was carpeted and had pillows and couches against the wall.

Trip said, "And this is where you 'entertain.'"

"And sleep when I'm away from the *Aniel.*"

Trip noted a pole to one side going from floor to ceiling. "Unusual structural support."

"That's for dancing," Leena said. "Some cultures use them for erotic dance."

Hoshi hurried past Tripp. "Engine's back there?"

The next compartment contained a small kitchen as well as a shower and toilet. And behind that was the cramped engine room.

Trip ran his tricorder over the engine core. "Yeah, there's something hinky in here. Hoshi, help me translate these consoles. Then go up front and work on the com system."

"Aye, sir."

8

8

Crewman Karen Thompson was blonde and 22 years old. She had taken over the communications station when Hoshi left.

She said, "Captain, a ship has dropped out of warp just at the edge of sensor range. I. F. F. reads it as Vulcan, the *Vorka.*" A pause, then: "She's hailing us."

"Put it on the screen," Archer ordered.

The Vulcan woman who appeared on the screen didn't seem to be any older that T'Pol, unusual since most of the Vulcan captains he had met were gray-haired men.

He said, "I'm Captain Johnathan Archer of the Earth Starship *Entrprise.* What can we do for you?"

"Captain Archer," said the Vulcan captain. "I am Captain T'Zara of the *Vorka.* Are you in need of assistance?"

'What is this about them always asking if we need help?' Archer thought. He said: "No, we're fine."

"We monitored a distress signal."

"We've responded and have it under control."

"I am sure you do. But we will be in this system for a few at least a few more hours should you need assistance. One never can be too careful."

"No, one never can be. Thank you."

"You're welcome. One more thing: I am given to understand that Sub-Commander T'Pol is serving aboard your vessel. Is she available?"

"She's right here." Archer turned towards T'Pol.

T'Pol rose from her station and came to stand by Archer. "Hello, T'Zara," she said. "It is agreeable to see you again."

"Likewise, T'Pol," T'Zara said. "How do you find serving with humans?"

"I believe the human expression is 'never a dull moment.'"

"Indeed. Lack of stimulation is the bane of intellect. That is part of the reason I have called. It's been many years. I realize this was unexpected and on short notice, but my ship is only an hour away by shuttle pod. With your captain's permission, I was hoping I could visit."

T'Pol looked at Archer.

Archer smiled. "Permission granted."

"Thank you, Captain. I will launch presently. T'Pol, see you soon." She left the screen.

T'Pol went back to her console and busied herself as if nothing had happened.

Archer mused, "Whaddya know, I guess you're not the only friendly Vulcan, T'Pol." She didn't answer. He strolled over to her station. "Old friend of yours?"

"Yes," T'Pol said. "We came up through the ranks together. We…worked together for a time. When she was promoted to captain, she was the youngest to ever receive a captaincy."

"And you're still a Sub-Commander."

"Indeed."

"And that doesn't…I mean…"

"Envy is an emotion, Captain."

"I see, T'Pol. Of course."

8

8

"In what universe is this application logical?" Hoshi groused in Vulcan as she stabbed controls in the skiff's pilot's chairs. "Because it certainly isn't this one." Leena's long-range communications stubbornly refused to work. The hardware appeared to be intact, but the software was not responding well.

Leena's voice came from behind her, also speaking Vulcan: "You speak Vulcan. Don't you love how a language with no curses still lets you express frustration?"

"Yes, and I find it keeps me centered."

"As do I. May I ask a question? It may be personal, but I am afraid I am dying of curiosity."

"What?"

"When you saw my dancing pole, you could not have run from it faster if wild targs were after you. Why is that?"

"I would prefer not to talk about it."

"A secret. You intrigue me, Hoshi Sato."

"It's…it's nothing really."

"Yet you have concealed it for years." She leaned against the console and bent towards Hoshi, bringing their faces closer. "It's been eating away at you for years, yet you do not tell your friends because you think they would think less of you."

Hoshi looked up at her, amazed. "How could you know that?"

"I know. You are not the only one who has made such choices. If you want to talk about it before we go our separate ways, I am here for you."

"Leena…I…" She heard footsteps and turned away. Leena straightened up.

Tucker entered the cockpit. "Am I interrupting?"

Hoshi said, "No, sir."

"How'd it go, Ensign?"

"Not well, Commander. I can't bring her long-range communications online no matter how hard I try."

"Things aren't much better in back. Leena, I got your impulse engines working, but your CO2 scrubbers are shot and your warp drive needs an overhaul. It's not we can't repair it, but we'd have to make custom parts. I think the best bet is we fix what we can, escort you back to *Enterprise,* and you contact your mother ship from there."

Leena smiled. "That would be acceptable, Commander."

"Fine," Trip said. "I'll clear it with my captain."


	4. Chapter 4

When Captain T'Zara emerged from her bronze shuttle pod, a crewman piped her aboard as Archer and T'Pol waited at the top of the steps.

Archer said, "Captain T'Zara. Welcome aboard the *Enterprise.*"

"Thank you, Captain," she said, shaking his hand, a small bag slung over her shoulder. "I did not expect you to make a ceremony of my arrival."

"You're T'Pol's old friend and a fellow captain. You should have the respect you are due."

"Emotional and logical. Unexpected."

"May I take your bag?"

"No, thank you. I was hoping to meditate while I'm here. T'Pol will tell you such meditation and the materials involved are very personal."

"Of course. I've taken the liberty of assigning quarters for the duration of your stay."

"Thank you."

As they walked down the corridor, T'Zara wrinkled her nose. "Forgive me, Captain, but I am not used to the smell of so many humans. T'Pol, how do you deal with it?"

"To use a human expression," T'Pol said, "it has grown on me. I find I welcome it when I return from a mission."

"Interesting. And…the mistrust some humans feel for Vuclans? Have you run into that here?"

Archer said, "I asked T'Pol to stay on. Since then, she has proved to be a valuable member of the crew."

"I see."

Thompson's voice came over the speakers: "Bridge to Captain Archer."

Archer crossed to an intercom and tabbed the button. "Go ahead."

"Shuttle pod one and the skiff are on approach, sir. Estimated time to docking twenty minutes."

"Understood. I'll be right up." He turned to T'Pol and T'Zara. "T'Pol, why don't you show your friend around. I can handle this."

"Of course, sir," T'Pol said.

"Actually, I would like to see these quarters and prepare to meditate," T'Zara said. "Do you still meditate regularly, T'Pol?"

"Of course."

"Would you care to join me?"

"Yes, after my duty shift is over." She paused and added, "Would you mind coming to my quarters?"

"No, not at all."

8

8

T'Pol was back on the bridge when the *Aniel* came out of warp and appeared on the *Enterprise's* main screen. Trip summed up what everyone (with the possible exception of T'Pol) had to be thinking: "God damn. It's the Las Vegas strip in space." Holograms and blinking lights played over the hull. Though almost four times the size of the *Enterprise,* its crew was much smaller. Most of the ship's volume was taken up by skiff hangars and spaces used by his troop's clients.

They got Tauriel on the main screen. He was in his mid-thirties, bearded, and wore a gold turban and a red-and-gold vest over a white shirt. He listened as Leena explained her circumstances, then smiled at Archer.

"Captain Archer," he said, "you have done me a great service. Leena is as a member of my own family. You have my gratitude."

"No, problem."

"Captain, allow me and my troop to entertain your crew. It is the least I can do."

"Thank you, but we're already on our way to Risa. And our protocols do not allow us to accept gifts."

"That is still a long journey from here, and I understand you have already traveled far, to learn about other cultures, yes?"

"Yes."

"Then consider this a cultural exchange and a chance for your crew to rest before resuming your journey."

8

8

Of course there was debate amongst his officers of the pros and cons of taking Tauriel up on his offer. Archer finally agreed because the crew needed a break and to fulfill his mission of contacting other species, but he made Tauriel agree to some of Malcom's security suggestion, made sure fixed numbers of his crew went aboard the *Aniel,* and made strict rules about how much contact his crew could have with Tauriel's entertainers. Leena's skiff was returned to its hangar on the *Aniel,* and then the *Aniel* docked with the *Enterprise.*

Once her shift was over, T'Pol had a quick snack in the mess hall, and returned to her room. She had just changed into her pajamas when the door chimed.

It was T'Zara, still in her uniform with her bag slung over her shoulder. "You are ready, I see. May I use your bathroom?"

"Of course."

T'Zara reached into her bag and pulled out a small box. "A gift. I procured new incense the last time I was home and set some aside for you, in case we crossed paths. Please accept it, t'hy'la."

"I…did not think we were still that close."

"Some things transcend time and space, although I apologize if I was too forward."

"The cause was sufficient." T'Pol took the box. "I accept your gift. Thank you."

T'Zara entered the bathroom. T'Pol heard clothes being undone.

T'Zara called, "Those cushions seem a bit thin."

"They are adequate considering the gravity here is lighter than at home. But I have recently begun investigating a practice involving what the humans call platonic cuddling." She took a PADD from her desk and extended her arm through the bathroom door. She felt the PADD being taken from her.

T'Zara came out in maroon pajamas, still reading the PADD. "You have…attempted this…practice?"

"Yes, with a human crew member. I found the results…interesting. I am curious to see how it would go with a Vulcan."

"I see." She put down the PADD. "Well, I am your guest, T'Pol. As the saying goes, when on Quo'nos, do as the Klingons do, as long as it is not too illogical."

"Very well." T'Pol crossed to her bed and turned down the blankets. "Do you mind if I am the big spoon?"

T'Zara's left eyebrow shot up and almost slammed into her hairline. "What does an eating utensil have to do with it?"

8

8

That night, Hoshi went over to the *Aniel* with a group that included Malcom and Trip. What Tauriel called the ship's theater was a darkened room where most people sat or reclined on pillows around low tables and were waited on by scantily clad women. The semicircular stage at one end of the room had three poles, and Leena was on stage with three other women. A group of musicians played to one side. When Leena saw Trip and Hoshi at the entrance, she smiled and waved. She jumped from the stage and came over to them. "It's good that you could make it," she said. She focused on Hoshi. "Come. I've saved places for you by the stage."

Hoshi was embarrassed. "I don't want any special treatment."

"Nonsense," Leena said. "You are my guests. Come."

They were soon seated on pillows by the stage. As Leena jumped back on the stage, women came over and served the three *Enterprise* crew members drinks.

"Weird," Hoshi said. "It's like this fusion of pole dancing and belly dancing with a middle eastern vibe. And they have a live band. That's cool, although I suppose it limits the play list."

Trip said, "That sounded like a professional assessment, Ensign. Didn't that sound like a pro-fesh-un-al assessment to you, Malcom?"

"Learned, certainly," Malcom agreed. "Come on, Hoshi, anything you want to tell us?"

"Yeah," Trip said. "We're shipmates, comrades in arms."

Hoshi didn't look at them. "Nope, not really, guys."

They realized Leena was dancing right in front of Hoshi. She crouched down. "Would you like to join us, Hoshi? Show us how you dance on Earth?"

"Yeah," Trip said too loudly, "weren't you saying you wanted get up there, Hoshi? Didn't she say that, Malcom?"

"I distinctly heard her," Malcom blabbed.

Hoshi held a smile as she cringed. "You guys."

Trip prodded, "Come on, Hoshi, show 'em how we do things on Earth."

"Yes," Malcom affirmed, "for the honor of the *Enterprise!*"

Leena grabbed Hoshi's hand and pulled her up onto the stage.

"Go Hoshi!" Trip shouted. "Hoe-she! Hoe-she! Hoe-she! Hoe-she!"

Malcom and the other men from the *Enterprise* joined in the shouts: "Hoe-she! Hoe-she! Hoe-she! Hoe-she!" It dissolved into applause.

Hoshi felt embarrassed and excited. "I don't know. This music isn't quite my speed."

"They will play however you want." Leena made a sharp gesture and the music stopped. Then they crossed to the side of the stage and crouched above the musicians. "Hoshi has instructions for you."

"Um…" Hoshi said. "All right. I don't know your culture, but let's see if you can work with this beat." She closed her eyes, placed herself back on the stage in Ottawa, and remembered one of the songs she'd liked to dance to. She tapped her hands on the edge of the stage. The drummer nodded and began beating in time to it. The other musicians joined in, improvising a middle eastern tune with a rock tempo.

"Oh, yeah," Hoshi said, "I can work with this."

Hoshi's hips swayed as she went to the nearest pole, whipped herself around it and leaned against it provocatively. As she kept dancing, Leena came over to her, and she and Hoshi started playing off each other, becoming more provocative and seductive towards each other as the music seemed to egg them on.

The men who weren't howling and cheering were as flabbergasted as Trip and Malcom. "Hoe-lee shit!" Trip proclaimed. "Is that really Hoshi? Our little Hoshi?"

"She's got …unexpected depths to her, I'll say that much," Malcom said.

"It's the quiet ones, Malcom, always is."

Before Trip knew it, Hoshi was crawling across the stage to him on all fours. She ended up nose-to-nose with him.

"Hoshi?" Trip asked, sounding almost nervous. "That's you in there, isn't it?"

Hoshi smirked. "For the honor of the *Enterprise,* remember?"

She backed away from Trip, then did a forward roll and landed on her back in front of him with his head clamped between her thighs. Tripp found himself eyeball-to-whatever with Hoshi's crotch. Then she released him, slid back a little, put a foot on his chest, and shoved. Tripp fell over backwards.

The other men of the *Enterprise* applauded.

Trip sat up. "The quiet ones. Always is." Then he looked around. "Hey—where did Hoshi go?"

8

8

"Leena! Stop!" Hoshi stumbled after Leena as Leena kept Hoshi's and in a vice grip and ran through the corridors of the *Aniel.* When they came through the hatch into her skiff, Leena closed the hatch with one hand as she pulled Hoshi into a kiss.

Hoshi struggled out of it. "Leena, no—mmph!" Leena's mouth was back on hers, but Hoshi pushed her away. "Please, Leena."

"Don't you want me? Did you not feel it when we were dancing? Please, Hoshi. Let me love you. I will be like no lover you have ever had, even if you have had other women."

"I can't."

Leena pouted. "I thought you liked me."

"Of course I like you."

"Then…you do not like to be with women?"

"No, I….I go with women and men. And yes, I am attracted to you."

"Then what?"

"My captain…he made a deal…rules…"

Leena drew Hoshi into a long, tender kiss. Then she said, "Hoshi, there will be plenty of time to be a good little crew member after I am gone. Tonight, you can be bad. Do not worry. Tauriel is very good at allaying concerns. Stay the night with me. Love me. And then tomorrow you can go back to obeying your captain in all things, and I will be a pleasant memory."

Hoshi smiled, then kissed Leena. "All right…"


	5. Chapter 5

Leena said, "I still wish to know your secret, Hoshi." She and Hoshi were lying naked in a tangle amongst the pillows in Leena's skiff after making love.

"It's no big deal," Hoshi said.

"Then it would be no 'big deal' to tell me. Please, Hoshi. You share your secret, and I will tell you a secret."

"All right." And Hoshi explained.

"Interesting," Leena said. "Your people are strange about sex, open and repressed at the same time. Very well. I will tell you a secret of the Vulcans."

"Whoa! You said you would tell me one of your secrets, Leena."

"No, I said I would tell *a* secret, Hoshi."

"Bitch."

"But you still love me." She kissed Hoshi. "Anyway, the Vulcan secret: It has to do with sex."

"I know, they have no sex drive."

"No, they do. They mostly breed within marriage. If they take a lover, it is someone they already are close to. They have taken discretion to new heights. So they hide it well but are no different from us…most of the time.

"But every seven years, they go insane! Their logic fails them and they become as beasts. They call it pon farr, the time of mating. If they do not couple with a member of the opposite sex, Vulcan or not, within a week, they will die."

"Seriously!?"

"Yes. There are animals like that. On Regulus 5, there are giant eel birds that must return to the caverns where they hatched. Vulcans evolved from something like that."

Hoshi was stunned. "That's…that's terrible," she said. "How do you know all this?"

"Why do you think they know about Risa?" Leena said. "Or troops like ours? Oh, of course they take precautions, but soon or later through misadventure, some poor Vulcan is stuck in the middle of nowhere and can't get home in time. That's where we come in. It is, um, a medical emergency. They need someone who can do it and then be relied on never to talk about it. I've had plenty of Vulcan men. One minute they are the most passionate of lovers, and the next they thank you politely and leave."

Hoshi smiled. "I don't think just Vulcan men are like that."

"Trust me, Hoshi, the change is striking. It is like one man arrives and a completely different one leaves. You do not see that with a non-Vulcan."

"I'll take your word for it, Leena. Still…I keep thinking about T'Pol, living with a ticking time bomb between her legs. I can't imagine what that must be like."

"Yes…well…" Leena kissed Hoshi. "I think we have done enough talking and should do some more loving. What do you think?"

"Loving sounds fine to me."

8

8

The meditation music playing in T'Pol's cabin stopped.

Lying on her side under the blankets with T'Pol holding her from behind, T'Zara opened her eyes. "And you have performed this practice with a human?"

"Yes."

T'Zara got out of bed. "Who?"

"Ensign Hoshi Sato. I have been teaching her to quiet her emotions."

"I suppose that is a worthy goal, but that is no reason to indulge a corruption of Vulcan disciplines. This 'cuddling' merely induces the natural production of neural transmitters also found in controlled substances. I don't see any logical reason to indulge it. Unless there are other reasons."

T'Pol got out of bed. Though her emotions were suppressed, she could feel them boiling. "What reasons?"

"Your response seems to be emotional."

"What reasons, T'Zara?"

"That you have become deranged and are debasing yourself in a form of masochism. Or perhaps Archer is holding you against your will, either through force or through blackmail, and you must indulge his sadistic whims."

Both of T'Pol's eyebrows rocketed up. "What!? Who said that?"

"It is rumored. You are the only Vulcan to serve on a human ship for longer than ten days. It is logical to ask why you are still here after 11 months. Your emotional reaction gives the rumors credence. I am concerned for you, t'hy'la, for your welfare and your future."

"Then let me allay your concerns. Captain Archer asked me to stay. I agreed of my own free will. I am neither being blackmailed nor being held hostage. I am the first officer of this ship and I take my responsibilities seriously, including defending the honor of my captain."

"You always were conscientious, but that doesn't mean your actions are logical, and they are not. Why stay?"

"Captain Archer believed a Vulcan science officer would be an asset and give his mission the best chance of success, T'Zara. I agreed."

"Again, why, T'Pol? What difference does it make to any Vulcan? If their mission is to fail, then let it fail. So 80 humans die. That won't affect Vulcan in any way. It might give the High Command the leverage it needs to end this warp 5 program, assuming the humans don't disband Starfleet first. And yes, there are human factions that wish to do so."

"I think you should leave, T'Zara."

"I will, but hear me out: the captain of the *Viktun* is retiring. My first officer is a capable man and more than up to the task. If he were offered the command and accepted, that would create a vacancy on my ship."

"Which would be filled by your second officer."

"Unless you became my first officer. I have friends back home, T'Pol. They can arrange this."

T'Pol had to struggle not to appear as stunned as she felt. "What…why would you do such a thing?"

"To save you," T'Zara answered. "If you stay on this ship, your career is over. Your rise through the ranks stops here. You are considered too tainted by humans to be given another posting. But if you do a tour at my side, your position will be reevaluated. You could have your own ship or anything else you wanted. All you have to do is abandon these humans and allow events to reach the most logical conclusion."

It was a moment before T'Pol could speak. "I didn't hear anything you just said, T'Zara. How long before you leave?"

"I had planned to stay the night, but I suppose it might be best if I returned to my ship now."

"Yes, I think that would be best."

8

8

After they had changed, T'Pol walked T'Zara back to the launch bay.

T'Zar said, "May I ask a personal question?"

"Of course."

"How long have you been tutoring Hoshi Sato in controlling her emotions?"

"Several weeks."

"And how did she react when you proposed this…new practice?"

"Obviously, she agreed to it. I would say she was enthusiastic."

"I see."

"Are you questioning my methods?"

"I'm concerned about you, should her intentions turn out to be other than what you believe."

"I don't understand."

"Perhaps she sees your practice as the basis of some sort of relationship, and your practice as a substitute for or prelude to greater physical intimacy. Humans are driven by their emotions no matter what they say. Perhaps she does not really wish to control her emotions but is using the meditation, and you, to fill an emotional or sexual need."

They had arrived at the launch bay. T'Zara added, "I am only concerned for you, T'Pol. You should not have to suffer indignities because of a human's misplaced desires."

"I am confident Ensign Sato would not take any action if she believed it could harm me. Have a safe flight back to your ship."

"Good night, T'Pol." T'Zara turned and descended the steps into her shuttle pod.

8

8

"Sub-Commander?" Trip called.

Walking down the corridor on the way to the turbolift, T'Pol looked behind her and saw Trip and Malcolm coming up behind her. "Yes, Commander?"

"Have you seen Hoshi?" Tripp asked.

"No," T'Pol said. "I thought she was aboard the *Aniel* with you and Malcolm."

"She was," Trip said, "but I lost track of her after she danced."

"Danced?" T'Pol asked.

"Yeah," Trip said, "it was amazing, she got on that stage, and, whoa, she was…"

"…yeah," Malcolm said, "she…"

And then both men remembered they were talking to a Vuclan.

Trip said, "Nah, it's no big deal. Guess she'll dribble back with everyone else after last call. Whenever that is. G'night, Sub-Commander."

T'Pol watched the two men head away. She thought to call after them, and thought better of it. She couldn't shake how disquieting this was. She was aware of what sort of "dancing" happened on Argelian troop ships. Erotic dancing, sometimes very erotic. Had they meant that Hoshi was skilled in such dancing? How could that be? It was so inconsistent with the Ensign T'Pol had come to know; she couldn't fathom it. Despite her emotional control, it seemed to strike her like a physical blow.

She continued on her way to the turbolift and and rode it to the bridge. She was surprised to see no one on duty…except for Archer, who was manning the helm dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. "Captain?"

He looked at her. "T'Pol. Trouble sleeping?"

"Something like that." T'Pol looked around.

"T'Zara's shuttle pod just left," Archer said. "Everything all right?"

"We…had a difference of opinion."

Archer read between the lines. "Friends can change over time, T'Pol."

"Not among Vulcans, Captain."

"Of course."

"It seems we have a discipline issue. Or is it normal for a human ship to be undermanned?"

"I'm letting the crew blow off some steam," Archer said. "I don't think Tauriel is that big a threat, so I let the graveyard shift leave early. It's not inconsistent with spacefaring tradition. Orbital spacecraft could operate quite well with the entire crew asleep."

"Monitored by a facility on the ground, if I remember correctly."

"Yeah, well, I think it'll be ok."

"You could have gone over to the *Aniel,* Captain."

"Not my cup of tea, T'Pol. So I thought I would babysit *Entreprise* before I went to bed."

"Hoshi had a good time, I believe."

"Good."

"It is…rumored that she took the stage and danced for the entertainment of the crew."

Archer's eyes flicked up. "Dance?"

"Yes. The interesting thing is the dances performed by Argelian dancers are erotic."

Archer nodded.

T'Pol said, "I was not aware that Starfleet linguists were trained in erotic dance, unless that is considered a form of language."

One of the helm displays got Archer's attention.

T'Pol stepped closer to the console. "I…would appreciate any insights."

"Well…" Archer said, "you'll have to ask her. But it doesn't change the person she is. Hoshi is still Hoshi."

"You…you know, Captain. You know what this is about."

Archer kept his eyes on the console. "I've known Hoshi for a long time, T'Pol. I wouldn't have her on my bridge if I had any doubts about her skills or her character. Let's leave it at that."

"Fair enough."

8

8

Hoshi woke up and found herself being cradled in Leena's arms.

Hoshi smiled and said, "Good morning."

"Good morning," Leena said with a smile. They kissed. "I did not want to wake you."

"Mmmm. What time is it?"

"Let me see." She picked up a PADD, tabbed through it, and handed to Hoshi. "This is your ship's clock."

Hoshi sprang to a seated position. "Fuck!" She scrambled across the floor to the pile of her clothes and began to pull on her underwear.

"You…want to love the clock?" Leena asked.

"No," Hoshi said, "I'm in trouble." She wriggled into her coveralls. "My watch started almost an hour ago. I am in it so deep." She pulled on her boots. "I've never done anything like this!"

"Was it worth it?"

Hoshi stood, pulling up her zipper. "I…it…I don't know!"

"Well, at least I now know it is not just human males who leave in a hurry."

Hoshi crouched down and gave Leena a kiss. "I will-" Kiss. "—see you-" Kiss. "—later-" Kiss. "—promise!" Another kiss and Hoshi ran out the door.

She rushed through the corridors of the *Aniel,* ran through the connecting tunnel, through the *Enterprise* docking hatch, turned to go down the corridor and ran headlong into T'Pol who was standing there, waiting.

Hoshi said, "Sub-Commander."

"Ensign. The captain wants to see you. Now."


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm very disappointed in you, Hoshi," Captain Archer said, as he stood before Hoshi in the ready room. Hoshi stood at attention and didn't say a word. "I would have expected to have expected to have this conversation with Trip or Malcolm. Not with you. I gave explicit instruction as to how much and what manner of contact our crew was supposed to have with the ladies aboard the *Aniel.* I don't recall saying those restrictions applied to men only, did I, Ensign?"

"No, sir, you did not, sir."

"When we realized you hadn't come back aboard, Tauriel gave us the runaround, saying you were Leena's guest and it would be a grievous offense if I tried to order you back. However, if you had asked me if you could stay aboard with your…friend, I would have said yes."

"I know, sir. Sorry, sir. It kind of…just happened, sir."

"I see. Hoshi, you may be an ensign, but as my translator you are the voice of the *Enterprise.* And as a bridge officer, you are still expected set an example for the rest of the crew. You are confined to quarters when not on duty until further notice."

Hoshi panicked—it meant she would not see Leena before the *Aniel* got under way. "But Captain-"

"No arguments, Hoshi. You're lucky I'm not putting this in your record. Don't dig yourself any deeper."

"Sir."

"Dismissed."

Hoshi turned to leave.

"Hoshi."

Hoshi looked back at him.

"The whole crew is buzzing about the show you put on last night," Archer said. "How do you feel about that?"

Hoshi thought. "That's all behind me, sir. But it's nice to know I've still got it."

Archer followed her onto the bridge. When they had assumed their stations, Hoshi reported, "Captain, the *Vorka* is hailing."

"On screen."

T'Zara's face filled the screen. "Captain Archer. I will take my leave of you now."

"Have a safe journey, Captain."

"And you. T'Pol, be well."

"Be well, T'Zara," T'Pol said.

The screen blanked.

Malcolm reported, "The *Vorka* has gone to warp."

Hoshi spared a glance over her shoulder. Though there was no visible hint that anything was bothering the beautiful Vulcan, Hoshi had a hunch things had not gone as expected with T'Zara.

8

8

At lunch, Hoshi found herself in line next to T'Pol. "Sub-Commander," she said in Vulcan.

"Ensign," T'Pol replied in kind.

"Is everything all right?"

"Everything is fine."

"How…how did things go with your friend last night?"

A pause, then T'Pol said in Vulcan, "Not as well as I had hoped."

"If you don't mind my asking," Hoshi said as they sat a table with Travis and Malcolm, "what happened?"

Malcolm said out of the side of his mouth, "And today's meeting of the Vulcan Science Academy is called to order."

Travis chuckled. "The secretary will now read the minutes."

Hoshi spared them a glance, then resumed speaking in Vulcan to T'Pol between mouthfuls: "Men. Human men, anyway. You were saying?"

T'Pol thought about what to say. "Some Vulcans think we have been too involved with the human race. It is a minority view, but I was surprised to see T'Zara subscribes to it. She did not in the-"

"Son of a bitch!" Trip pulled a chair over to the table and flopped into it. "Son. Of. A. Bitch."

Hoshi said, "You know I could hear the periods? What's wrong?"

"Hoshi, is the Wi-Fi router in space suit storage working?"

Hoshi pulled her communicator out of her pocket, opened it, thumbed the controls, looked at it, closed it, and put it away. "Yeah."

"You sure?"

"I just pinged it."

"Then why is suit storage breathing down my neck about the suit UT's not working properly?"

Hoshi closed her eyes. "The software update. But I've been restricted to quarters-"

T'Pol said, "I will speak to the captain, and then I will assist you in the suit storage bay after you are done on the bridge."

8

8

Hoshi said, "The *Aniel* is hailing."

"On screen, Ensign."

"Actually, Captain, he wants to talk to you privately."

8

8

In his ready room, Tauriel was on the desk screen.

Archer asked, "Well?"

"Captain, this is a matter of some delicacy. Leena is very apologetic about the trouble she has called. She wants to come aboard and meet privately with Ensign Sato…"

8

8

"…so she can apologize," Archer said. Hoshi, T'Pol, and Malcolm were standing on the other side of his ready room desk. "And yes, this is going to be in Hoshi's quarters, and yes, this is going to take about an hour, and no, Leena cannot be talked out of it."

Hoshi winced. "I'm sorry about this Captain."

"It's ok, Hoshi. I'm sure someday we'll look back on this and laugh. Well, most of us will anyway. I want to handle this as discreetly as possible. The rumor mills will still go crazy, but there's no need to push it by using the coms. Leena wants to come aboard in an hour. Malcolm, I want you to meet Leena at the airlock and take her to Hoshi's quarters-"

The com beeped. "Tucker to Captain."

Archer sighed. "Go ahead, Trip."

"Cap'n, how soon can you get Hoshi down to suit storage? The planetary sciences team wants to get their gear ready for studying those asteroids in a couple of days, and you know how they are about their suits. They're breathing down my neck. Pleeeze?"

Archer sighed. "Two hours, Tripp. Hoshi has…to conclude her business with Leena."

"The hell? What, are we living in a fan fic all of a sudden?"

Hoshi said, "I'm not big into slash either, Commander."

"Oops. Sorry, Hoshi. Ok, I'll try and placate suit storage."

Archer nodded to his officer. "Dismissed."

In the turbolift with Hoshi and Malcolm, T'Pol said, "I am aware of fan fiction, Ensign. Are you aware of the theory that what is reality in one universe is fiction in others?"

"Better not be true, Sub-Commander, because then there would be someone in another universe I would want to strangle right now, and I'm in enough trouble."

8

8

Hoshi and T'Pol went to Hoshi's cabin. Once the ladies went inside, T'Pol waited in the bedroom while Hoshi went into her bathroom and changed. Then T'Pol heard Hoshi cry, "Oh, shit!"

"What?"

Hoshi came out of the bathroom. She was wearing a pink negligee and had put on some makeup. "We're going to suit storage after this! I won't have time to clean up."

"I do not think you will be able to keep this secret, even with the Captain's best efforts at discretion. I suggest you finish getting ready, unless you want your face to be asymmetrical."

"Right." Hoshi went into the bathroom. A moment later she said, "Y'know, I would not be surprised if this is all I'm remembered for."

"Viewed within the context of diplomatic relations, this will not reflect poorly on your record."

Hoshi said something.

"Excuse me?" T'Pol said.

Hoshi came out, her face done and looking radiant. "I said my record isn't exactly squeaky clean, so most people would think this was par for the course."

Being Vulcan, T'Pol automatically hid her surprise, but that didn't lessen the impact. "What do-"

The door chimed.

Hoshi said, "Come in."

Leena and Malcom entered, Leena dressed in a veil and extra jewelry and smiling. "You look beautiful, Hoshi." She kissed the ensign. "I hope I can make amends for the trouble I've caused."

Hoshi had to admit Leena looked even more desirable than the night before. "I think you'll do all right."

T'Pol said, "We'll be outside," as she started to leave with Malcolm.

"You don't have to go," Leena said. "You can join us."

"No, no," T'Pol said quickly, "we'll be fine. You and Hoshi, um, conclude your business."

"Well," Leena said, "knock if you change your mind."

After T'Pol and Malcolm were out in the corridor and the door had closed on the two young women, Malcolm said, "And she would, too."

"Without hesitation. I said they were hedonistic."

"I know, but this is ridiculous. Still, I hope this is the end of Ensigns Gone Wild week."

"Indeed."

8

8

Hoshi rolled onto her back next to Leena and said, "Well, if we ever go to a world where lesbian sex is the key to diplomatic relations, I now know I can do it under pressure with people waiting outside."

Leena got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Hoshi heard the shower start.

Hoshi entered the bathroom. "Leena? What are you doing?"

Leena smiled as she turned to her. "I was hoping we could take a shower together."

"No, Leena, no. I'm already in trouble. I have my duties to attend to, and you have to be on your way." She took Leena's hands. "It's been great to meet you. I had a great time, and I really like you a lot. But it's time to go. For now, anyway."

"All right. But let me shower?"

"Don't you have a shower on the *Aniel?*"

"The water allowance is stricter. Please? And then I'll leave."

"All right." They kissed. Leena entered the shower and Hoshi dressed as quickly as she could.

While she showered, Leena listened to noises from the other room. When she heard the door close, she padded out into the bedroom and got one of her bracelets off the floor. She pressed a gem on it. A moment later, gold light announced the materialization of a small box on the floor in front of her. She removed a small breath mask and put it over her nose and mouth. Then with a tool she opened the air vent in Hoshi's bathroom. The last item was a small disk about half the size of her hand. She placed it carefully in the vent and touched another gem on the bracelet. The disk lifted off and began floating down the vent.


	7. Chapter 7

Dressed in her uniform, Hoshi came out of her cabin.

Malcolm asked, "Where's Leena?"

"She's taking a shower. I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but she insisted. She promised she'd go back to the *Aniel* as soon as she's done."

"All right."

T'Pol was peering at Hoshi's neck.

"What?" Hoshi said.

"Ensign," T'Pol said, "if you want Doctor Phlox to make a dental impression for you to have as a keepsake, I believe Leena has provided all the information you need."

"What!?"

Malcolm was looking at it too. "Oh, wow, Hoshi, she really chomped on you. She must have been really…apologetic."

Hoshi pulled her collar up as high as she could and raised her shoulders almost to her jaw. "Yeah, Little Miss Contrition, that's her. Sub-Commander, let's get to suit storage. I just want to have a helmet on right now."

8

8

The disk finally arrived at its destination, the main junction where recycled air from the *Enterprise's* CO2 scrubbers was fed to the rest of the ship. It landed softly on the vent and the top side of it glowed. Gold light faded into existence above it.

8

8

When Hoshi and T'Pol got to suit storage, only one crewman was on duty. Hoshi put on a suit, and T'Pol put on a small headset.

Hoshi said, "Ok, suit's powered up, and UT is online. Count to ten in Vulcan."

T'Pol had got to five when Hoshi said, "No, no, it's cutting in and out. Shit! I know, emotional control, but it's been a long day. Ok, computer, head's up display. And let's see what's going on in here."

"Hoshi…can we use a private channel?" T'Pol asked.

"Sure." She tabbed a control. "Go ahead."

"May ask a question?"

Hoshi only half-listened her as she manipulated the head's up display in her helmet with the suit controls. "Yeah, sure."

"When you meditate with me, do you like it?"

"Well, yeah. I come out feeling relaxed and centered. Whatever happened that day I just shed off. It's great."

"No, what I mean is…do you do it because you like…spending time with me?"

That got more of Hoshi's attention. "What do you mean by that?"

"Um…no, forgive me, this is not the time-"

"No, seriously, what is it?"

"It's…" T'Pol broke off and sniffed the air. "What's that smell?" Then she saw the crewman slumping against the bulkhead.

Hoshi reached for her helmet. "What's wrong with him?"

"Keep your helmet on!"

Hoshi lowered her hands, leaving her helmet on. "Gas? Again?"

T'Pol was working on her console.

Hoshi said, "Well, it doesn't seem to have affected you, Sub-Commander."

"Not so far, Ensign." T'Pol turned and looked at the crewman slumped on the floor. Then she shook herself and turned back to her console. "There's an energy surge in the main life support system by the CO2 scrubbers. It appears to be a transporter signature."

"They're beaming the gas in?"

"I believe I said that. We have intruders." She crossed to the weapons locker. "They're headed for the-" She realized Hoshi wasn't at her elbow. "Ensign?"

"She played me," Hoshi said. "She knew how to get to me, and she played-"

"Ensign! This is not the time. We have intruders. You can review the situation later."

"You're right." She crossed to the locker and grabbed a phase pistol. "Let's go."

8

8

T'Pol peaked around the corner. Men and women from the *Aniel* were carrying supplies out of the cargo bay, all wearing breathing apparatuses.

She extended her tricorder briefly, then retreated back to Hoshi.

Hoshi said, "Anything?"

"Their men are very attractive."

"Are you all right?" T'Pol was a little sweaty and her color wasn't normal. "Maybe the gas is affecting you?"

"I'm conscious, which is all that matters. Look at this." She showed Hoshi the tricorder.

Hoshi looked and smiled a bit. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Of course. I can move quicker. I'll access the communications system. You keep their attention."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Leena is there."

"I see, but…are you sure? You're looking a little rocky."

"I'm fine. You have your orders, ensign."

8

8

When the phase pistol bolts invaded the cargo bay, being fired from outside one of the hatches, Leena and the others from the *Aniel's* crew dove for cover. Leena nodded to two of the men, pointed, and they snuck out another entrance. A few moments later, the phase pistol bolts stopped, and a Starfleet officer was lead in at gunpoint, dressed in a bronze space suit. Leena recognized the face through the visor as Hoshi.

"Well, Hoshi," she said as she sauntered over. "Is this one of your duties? You just happened to be in a space suit?"

"Yeah," Hoshi said. "The suit universal translators have been on the blink. Remember the software update I told you about?"

"Yes, you mentioned that."

"And if I hadn't been in this suit, what, I would have woken up to find our cargo bay empty?"

"You didn't think we'd entertain you for free?"

"And that's what it was all about, Leena? Just roping us in and setting us up?"

Leena traced a finger on the space suit. "Not all. I really do like you, and you are good at loving. Why don't you come with me?"

"Are you serious?"

"You know you want to. Stop denying yourself, Hoshi. Deep down, you're just like me."

"I'm nothing like you, Leena!"

"Now who's lying? You think you really want to follow Captain Archer around like a domesticated animal, marry some nonentity, and die anonymously after a boring life? Of course you don't. Part of you yearns for release. And it's not like you feel close to anyone here. I'm the love you've been waiting for, and you know it. Come with me, Hoshi."

Even though it was supposed to be an act, and even though Hoshi knew better, she found Leena's words appealing to something inside her. "Leena…"

An electronic squeal punctuated by clicks sounded in the room and stopped.

Leena pushed Hoshi away. "So that was your game? Distract me while another member of the crew does something? Well it won't work." She turned to two of the men. "Find who that is." Back to Hoshi: "What was that, anyway?"

"Well, we scanned your rebreathers and found something organic in the CPU's," Hoshi said.

"Bio-Neural jell packs," Leena said. "Expensive but better than regular electronics. What of it?"

"Well, the life from inside is similar to one we ran into last month," Hoshi said. "T'Pol and I did a translation to talk to it and we thought that would work with this. What you just heard was her just telling the brains of your rebreathers to go to sleep."

Leena's legs gave out under her. Hoshi caught the unconscious prostitute as other members of the *Aniel's* crew fell to the deck, and Hoshi lowered Leena to the floor.

T'Pol came in through one of the doors. "There's two more outside. I guess this is the whole boarding party?"

Hoshi was still looking at Leena. "Yes, I think-" Then Hoshi caught sight of T'Pol: the Vulcan's skin had turned yellow while sweat glistened on her skin and soaked her cat suit. Her breathing was ragged, and her eyes were wide and staring. "—T'Pol! Are you all right?"

"Do not concern yourself."

"Are you kidding? You look like death warmed over."

"Mind your place, girl!" T'Pol shouted. Then she said, "I'm sorry. There's nothing you can do for me, Hoshi. Let's get to the bridge."

8

8

After they had locked the sleeping pirates in the cargo bay, they headed for the bridge. Hoshi found it hard to focus as she was worried about T'Pol.

T'Pol fidgeted as the turbolift car went to the bridge. "Stop staring at me," she growled.

"I'm worried about you."

"I. Said. Stop. Looking. At. Me."

"Ok."

On the bridge, they went to their stations.

T'Pol said, "The *Aniel* has undocked and gone to warp. And I'm showing six warp signatures. Who knows which ones to follow."

"So much for honor among thieves," Hoshi said.

"Indeed. The concentration of tranquilizer has dropped to…it's dropped a lot. You can take off your helmet."

"You sure?"

"Ensign," T'Pol warned, "do not presume to second guess me."

"All right." Hoshi took her helmet off, even more worried about T'Pol. This was not like her at all. "They trashed the com system. It'll take a while to fix." She removed the life support packs. "I'm going to make sure Porthos is ok."

Porthos was sleeping on his bed in the ready room. Hoshi couldn't wake him, but her tricorder said he was ok.

She came back to the bridge and found T'Pol standing between the unconscious forms of Archer and Trip. T'Pol was muttering, "Which one? Which one?"

"Sub-Commander?" Hoshi said.

"I'm spending more time with Trip. I trust him. But Archer is the leader." She grinned wolfishly. Her eyes were insane. "They're friends. Why don't I make them fight?"

"Fight?"

"For the right to mate with me."

"Wait, hold on. You want them to-"

"In the second dynasty, Princes T'Linn wrote that watching friends fight to the death was incredibly arousing. It's said she mixed the blood of dead suitors into her makeup. The Vulcan archeological directorate has deemed that legend apocryphal, but I'm not so sure now. Who wouldn't want a keepsake of someone who was willing to die for a chance to mate with you?"

"Blood in the makeup? That's sick. What's wrong with…it's the gas, isn't it, T'Pol? It's making you-"

"Alive. I feel more alive than I've ever felt. I can't wait to couple with one of them. If you're a good little serving wench, I'll let you choose from the leftovers. Assuming any of them wants you. No wonder you keep chasing women. What man would want you? You're nothing. A waste of oxygen."

Even though Hoshi knew T'Pol wasn't in her right mind, T'Pol's words cut into Hoshi like knives. "T'Pol, please, stop it-"

"Why would anyone want you when I'm here? Malcolm always looks at me. He thinks I don't know but I know. He lusts after me. Not you. Me. They all want me. They're all here for me! You…you're an afterthought. You're what they'd settle for if they have no choice."

"Please, Sub-Commander, it's…it's the gas, it's affecting your mind, it…" Then all the pieces of the puzzle clicked together. "Oh my god. This is Pon Farr, isn't it? Leena told me. The gas has set off your mating drive-"

"And I have to mate with a male or I'll die."

"Maybe not. Maybe we just have to wait until the gas wears off-"

"YOU PRESUME TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO, GIRL!?"

"I'm trying to be logical. Besides, everyone is still asleep. If we haven't woke anyone up yet-"

T'Pol screamed and fell to her knees, pressing her hands against her gut.

"T'Pol!" Hoshi fell to her knees in front of the Vulcan. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Scan me."

Hoshi scanned T'Pol with her tricorder, then handed to the Tricorder to T'Pol. "What do those readings mean, Sub-Commander?"

"They mean that if I don't mate with a male, I will be dead in two hours, maybe two-and-a-half at the outside."

"Seriously!? You go through that once every seven years?"

"It's normally not this bad. Usually one would have a week. But perhaps the gas….there is no choice now." She got to her feet, staggered into the situation room, opened a locker, and pulled out a small metal box.

Hoshi had followed T'Pol. Hoshi said, "The emergency defribillator?"

"I'll need your help to get Trip undressed."

Hoshi drew her phase pistol as she got in T'Pol's way. "No."

"Out of my way, girl!"

"No, Ma'am."

"I gave you an order!"

"I cannot obey that order!"

"Slut! Whore! Presumptuous cur! Obey my orders!"

"NO! I cannot obey your order if it means letting you hurt someone!"

"You dare to challenge me? I'll kill you!"

"Sub-Commander…please, listen to me. You're not well. If you try to use the defribillator to wake someone up, you'll kill him. And if you succeed in waking some guy up and forcing yourself on him, you'll be committing rape."

"Don't be ridiculous. Human males always want it."

"That's a myth. Women can and sometimes do force themselves on men. Not as often as when a man rapes a woman, but it happens, and it can be just as traumatic. Even if he says 'yes,' it may hurt him if he doesn't really want you. And you're a good person, T'Pol. If you hurt someone, you will never forgive yourself."

"I…" T'Pol's breathing slowed a bit. "…I appreciate what you are trying to do…ensign. But I have no choice. I will be dead in a matter of hours."

"Couldn't you just masturbate?"

"No, and in answer to your next logical query, lesbian sex won't do it either. I need a male member inside me, Hoshi, and I need to feel a male humanoid penetrating me. Nothing else will do it. Believe me, Vulcans have studied this. But you are right. I must not be allowed to harm anyone. I cannot—must not—allow this to go further. There…there is only one course of action left. Only one…one honorable path." Her hands shaking, T'Pol put the defribillator down on the data table. "You must lock me in the Captain's Ready room and depressurize the connecting passage. Then you should attempt to revive Phlox. If you can wake him in time, he can purge my system."

"And if I can't wake him up, you're going to die."

"Yes, but I will record a log entry making clear you acted on my orders and are not at fault. But either way, I will not allow myself to be a danger to the crew. Don't argue with me, Ensign. It's taking everything I have to remain lucid. You must confine me now."

"No. No, wait. There may be another way." Hoshi holstered her phase pistol. "Can you hang on long enough to get to my quarters?"

"I told you-"

"I know, but I have an idea." She extended her hand. "Coming, Sub-Commander?"

T'Pol looked at Hoshi's hand, then took it. "Let's go."

8

8

Malclom was still asleep on the deck outside Hoshi's cabin.

T'Pol ventured, "Hoshi, do you think-"

"No."

"If we get him to sickbay-"

"No. Come on."

In Hoshi's cabin, T'Pol watched as Hoshi go a box off the shelf and rummaged through it. "Where…ah, here it is!" She pulled out a box, quickly opened it, and tore the plastic off the item inside it.

T'Pol was making sense of what appeared to be a single 45 centimeter long dildo when she realized… "Wait, it has two ends of equal size?"

"Yup." Hoshi tossed it on the bed and started to get undressed. "That's why they call it a double ended dildo."

"I don't understand."

"One end goes in me and one end goes in you. That way you get penetrated and feel another body—mine—doing it-"

"No, no, that will never work. Vulcan instincts cannot be fooled. No matter how…well you perform, I will always be aware that you are female. This will not end a pon farr."

Hoshi had stripped to her underwear and was taking her bra off. "But you said this isn't a normal pon farr, right? So maybe I don't have to end it. Maybe your brains are so scrambled right now this can get you through the next couple of hou-"

"No, this has been a fool's errand. We will take lieutenant Reed to the sickbay and try to find a stimulant to wake him."

"No."

"Then I'll do it myself!"

T'Pol tabbed the door. It didn't open. She turned and saw Hoshi bent over her computer console.

T'Pol drew her phase pistol. "What did you do?"

Hoshi straightened. "I encrypted the lock. There's no way you'll be able to open it."

"T'Zara was right, wasn't she?" T'Pol said. Her eyes had the crazy look again as her control slipped away. "She said you were meditating with me because of some perverse sexual desire. This is what you've been waiting for, and now you have a chance to enact one of your sick human fantasies. Or maybe it's more than that. You want to debase me, humiliate me. You resent me. You told me you don't like it when I looked over your shoulder." She snorted. "You're pathetic, little girl. You think I can't just kill you and claw my way out of here?"

"Then do it, because I won't help you hurt anybody."

"I'm giving you one last chance, Hoshi. Open this door or I'll kill you."


	8. Chapter 8

Sitting across from T'Pol in the cell in the *Vorka's* brig, T'Zara said, "So you killed Hoshi. Then you made use of either Reed or another male to end your pon farr. They arrested you for her murder and the assault and turned you over to us."

"So it seems," T'Pol said. "I told Captain Archer and Doctor Phlox I had had a severe allergic reaction to the gas."

"In a sense, you did. In any case, I think you should reconsider the advocate. You shouldn't be penalized because of happenstance. They just happened to have a gas that was potentially fatal to you. Clearly it affected your judgement and led to your actions."

"But even if I am acquitted, I will be out of the High Command in disgrace. And on top of that, there is the embarrassment to the *Enterprise.* To both be looted and to suffer fatalities because of common thieves. Still, perhaps it is for the best."

"How so?"

"I've given the matter some thought since your visit. The *Enterprise* crew is composed of many highly skilled individuals whose lives are at risk daily. They could apply themselves productively with less risk to life and limb if they were back on Earth. So if the *Enterprise* is grounded, that would not be a bad thing. Which puts me in an awkward position."

"What do you mean?" T'Zara asked.

"I identified the gas," T'Pol said. "It was developed many years ago by the Vulcan defense directorate. It was hoped to be a nonlethal weapon that could be deployed with a minimum of side effects and low risk of fatality from accidental overdose. And it worked perfectly on other species, which, by the way, is why the captain's quadruped came through unscathed. But in Vulcans it resulted in a severe pon farr reaction. Subjects had hours to live instead of days. It was deemed too dangerous to use. The existing supply was destroyed, but the chemical formula remains."

"You suspect Tauriel procured the gas."

"Maybe. The intriguing possibility is a conspiracy. Let's say Soval couldn't wait for Captain Archer to furnish him with an excuse for ending the program. He could procure the gas and then give it to Tauriel, perhaps claiming it was especially effective on humans. The adverse effects on me would result in my death or disgrace, something the high command would not abide. They would force Starfleet to recall *Enterprise.* It might even end Starfleet. Of course, if true, then releasing that information would lead to *Enterprise* continuing its mission. But at least Soval would be held accountable. I am not sure what to do."

T'Zara crossed to the other bunk and sat next to T'Pol. "Perhaps there is another way out of this."

"How so?"

"Let's say you withhold your evidence. And then that an inquiry finds that you were under the influence of the gas and not responsible for your actions. You could be returned to duty. Do you think the humans will want you back?"

"Archer would, no question."

"Even after you killed his one-time lover?"

"What do you…Hoshi?"

T'Zara nodded. "She was once employed as an erotic dancer when she was living in Canada. She and Archer were briefly romantically involved. That relationship did not continue, but he was still her patron in Starfleet. And even if he forgave you that, should that news leak to the press, the scandal that Archer once bedded the translator he had worked so hard to bring onto his command would surely be the end of the Warp 5 program. It might even bring down Starfleet. And then the humans you feel concern for could be safe and sound-"

"Wait." T'Pol got up. "I have never heard that information. That is not in their files, either at Starfleet or the Vulcan High Command. How could you know that?"

T'Zara looked at T'Pol. Then she stood. "Hoshi told Leena. She told Tauriel."

"Yes, but-" T'Pol broke off as the last pieces fell into place. Logic could no longer be denied. "Leena told Tauriel, and Tauriel relayed that to you…because you are Tauriel's employer. You are the client of long standing Leena met with before we encountered her."

"Yes," T'Zara said, as if she had been asked if she wanted eggs for breakfast.

"You…you tried to kill me!"

"You are being emotional."

"Of course I am! I could have ended up dead. As it is, look at me now!"

"I gave you an opportunity to leave, T'Pol. If you had been more receptive, I would have invited you to the Vorka and you would not have been on *Enterprise* when Tauriel deployed the gas. And you still have an opportunity. Withhold your evidence and join us. You will be by my side."

"'Us,' T'Zara?"

"Vulcans who believe in true Vulcan philosophy, who see logic as the sole motivation for action. Who accept that we are the superior race, and that our so-called alliance with the humans is an emotional indulgence that can only end with the end of the Vulcan race as we know it."

"You…you've become a logic fanatic? What happened to you, T'Zara?"

"I woke up, T'Pol, when I learned the high command had sanctioned research into interbreeding between humans and Vulcans."

"The Vulcan Science Directorate-"

"Has lied. Or if they were not lying in the past, they are lying now. The genetic differences between humans and Vulcans are less than one would expect given our physiological differences. Only modest engineering may be needed to allow the creation of a Vulcan/Human embryo. And on that day, the Vulcan race will begin its long, slow march to genetic extinction. We cannot allow that."

"So Soval is in league with logic fanatics?"

"Soval has nothing to do with us. We see him as indulging humanity too much. He is the reason Starfleet even exists. But humiliating Starfleet will also disgrace him, and the next ambassador to Earth will not forget the fate that befell the first Vulcan to travel on a human starship. The humans are dangerous. Captain Archer has only proved that during his voyage. Confinement to their planet is not as ideal a solution as genocide, but it is a realistic goal, and one easy to achieve."

"So you hired Tauriel hoping to discredit Starfleet. How did you know Tauriel? Did you engage his services when you went into pon farr during a mission?"

"Yes, a few years after you left Vulcan Intelligence."

"When he is questioned, your plan will be exposed."

"Tauriel will never be questioned, T'Pol. He is dead."

8

8

Rain beat down on T'Zara's rain cloak as she walked through the forest on the backwater world.

"Stop," Tauriel's voice said from behind her. "Turn around. Hands where I can see them."

T'Zara turned around. He could see the box she was holding.

He said, "What have you got me into? In all the years I have been raiding ships, I never lost one crew member. Now my boarding party is in custody and there's a rumor that the gas drove the Vulcan berserk, and someone died."

"That is no concern of yours." She hefted the box. "The balance of your payment as agreed." She set it on the ground and stepped back.

Tauriel opened the box, inspected the contents, closed it, and picked it up. "Next time find someone else to do your dirty work. We're done." He touched his belt. He vanished in a swirl of light.

T'Zara removed a PADD from under her cloak. She tabbed a few option and found a satellite image. It focused on the image of the *Aniel.* The ship accelerated, began to blur away from the camera, but instead of vanishing into warp, there was a flash and a shower of debris.

8

8

"…the ultritium explosive was programmed to detonate when the ship went to warp," T'Zara explained in the cell with T'Pol. "To all appearances, it would look like an accident."

"That was the mission you just returned from. And I imagine the chemist who made the gas for you is also dead."

"Correct."

"Why tell me all this?"

"Because you have already been disgraced, and unseemly allegations will not help you. Your only logical course of action is to accept my offer and join us. Don't worry, T'Pol. When you are enlightened as I have been, when you embrace true Vulcan philosophy, you will understand why all this was necessary."

"Perhaps to your mind it was, but I will not be joining you. You proceed from a false premise: the assumption that Tauriel is dead. He is not. After he beamed aboard the *Aniel,* Tauriel left his money on his ship and immediately beamed aboard the *Enterprise.* When the *Aniel* went to warp, it was empty and flying on autopilot."

"T'Pol…you…." T'Zara turned at the sound of the brig door opening. A moment later, Hoshi Sato came and stood before the cell.

T'Zara barely hid her surprise. "You…you're alive? T'Pol, you said you killed her!"

"No," T'Pol said, "I said that was how it seemed…"


	9. Chapter 9

Hoshi's face remained a mask of stone. She said calmly, "No, Sub-Commander, I will not open the door."

"You…" T'Pol raged, "you stupid slut! You whore! Why don't you just open the door? You good for nothing tramp!" She snorted derisively. "All that praise I gave you? I take it back! You probably slept your way onto this ship, you stupid, useless trollop! WHORE! WHORE! You're nothing but a brainless human WHORE! Stupid WHORE! No one will miss you. No one will care. So why not do something in your best interest that doesn't involve sex? Just open the door you idiotic WHORE!"

Hoshi stared at T'Pol evenly. "Compromise," she said quietly: "I will open the door and let you out and you can do whatever you want without my assistance. But you will hear me out first."

"You're trying to trick me."

"No."

"Open the door NOW, whore!"

"If I open the door now, our friendship is over the minute you step out into the corridor."

"You…you're bluffing."

"No."

"You'll still work with me on the bridge, Hoshi."

"I will permanently switch places with Karen, T'Pol, or get transferred off the bridge entirely. Suit storage, for instance. You will never see me during your duty shift again."

"It's illogical to think you can blackmail me like that."

"Fine." Hoshi tabbed he console. "It's open. If you want to go, go."

T'Pol glanced between the door and Hoshi. Her anger ran down a bit. "How long will it take you to say what you want?"

"Few minutes."

"All right." T'Pol put her phase pistol on the desk. "No tricks."

"No."

They sat on Hoshi's bed.

"I've never told anyone this," Hoshi said, "but you're right, I have to…to help you. But you should know why I bit your head off. I was 19 years old. I'd gone halfway around the world from Japan to McGill University in Montreal where I was a theater major. I also minored in linguistics, because I had a talent for picking up languages. Annoyed the other kids in class when I could chat with the teacher in her native tongue in less than a week. And to make money to live on, I danced at a strip club an hour away in Ottawa."

"A-an erotic dancer paying for her education?"

"That's me, a living archetype."

"I've never met one before. I am honored. But you were saying?"

"Yes," Hoshi said. "Well, anyway, I…had a sexual relationship with one of the other girls, who was from Montreal. We were a great team. She wanted to get into making porno, and I was in love with her, so we were planning to go to California and meet some people. I would have dropped out of McGill, but so what? What's one more theater geek?

"One day the captain came to McGill to give a talk. He was only a lieutenant commander then, and he didn't talk about alien cultures as much as I wanted. But I was still interested still asked him a bunch of questions and we traded contact info. And I stayed up late that night teaching myself Vulcan."

"You learned Vulcan in one night?"

"It wasn't hard. It's a beautiful language. Basque was worse. Trust me.

"Anyway, the next night I was working in Ottawa, and there was trouble at the door. Some poor Vulcan tourist had got lost and wandered in. He couldn't speak a word of English or French, and no one else spoke Vulcan. So I stepped up and talked to him. I gave him directions to where he wanted to go. He invited me to visit his home if I was ever on Vulcan. He left, I turned around, and guess who was standing right behind me?"

"The captain?"

"Yup. And I promptly had a heart attack…metaphorically speaking."

"What does this have to do with the names I called you, Hoshi?"

"I'm getting to it, T'Pol. Anyway, he gave me the pitch, join Starfleet, help us reach out into the universe, blah, blah, blah. I was reluctant. I told him Starfleet probably didn't want strippers. He told me it wouldn't matter as long as I didn't do anything illegal. He asked me to have lunch with him in Montreal on Wednesday. I said ok.

"It was at a ritzy restaurant. I thought it would be just be us, but guess who else was there? Commodore Forrest and Ambassador Soval! John introduced me as student of languages and made a point of saying I could speak Vulcan. Soval said, 'Indeed?' and every word out of his mouth after that was in Vulcan. I don't remember what we talked about or what I ate. I just remember how Soval was impressed, and was fighting not to show it.

"I was angry at John for having put me in that spot. I later found out the Vulcans had been arguing Starfleet was concentrating on technical elements and questioned whether humans could interact with alien cultures. Anyway, John apologized for putting me on the spot but said that if I stayed out of trouble and transferred into McGill's xenolinguistics program, that would make me a candidate for a communications specialist in the warp 5 program.

"I thought about it. And the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. I had this talent for languages and so far all I had used it for was talking to customers in their own languages. Why not do something important? Help humanity connect to other races?

"So…I told Chloe I had decided I didn't want to make pornos. I told her I was going to stay in Montreal and transfer to the xenolinguistics program. We had a big fight. She called me a slut and a whore and a whole lot of other things. She said I was just kidding myself if I thought John was looking for more than some Asian nookie on his space ship. She threw me out. And I vowed I would never let anyone speak to me like that again."

"I'm sorry, Hoshi, I didn't know." T'Pol paused. "Wait, I didn't know! How was I supposed to know all that?"

"You shouldn't need to be told that, T'Pol. You normally don't call someone a whore in polite society, even on Vulcan."

"I know. You're right. I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

"T'Pol…I understand. You're sick. You're not in your right mind. So even though you opened a LOT of old wounds and said things that hurt me, you are still my shipmate and my friend. You've been there for me and I want to be here for you." She picked up the double ended dildo. "But. I've taken just about all the abuse I can take. So, your choices are these: You can stay here with me, and we can see if we can use this gizmo to get you through the worst of it until the tranquilizer starts to wear off, or you can walk out that door and our friendship is over. And believe me, T'Pol, if it's one thing human women can do, it's cut ties.

"Like I said, door's unlocked. The choice is yours."

T'Pol crept to the door and opened it. She looked between Malcolm and Hoshi. "Hoshi, have you ever played the human game of poker?"

"A few times."

"Any good?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I played once and got cleaned out." She closed the door. "Want it locked?"

"Wellll…." Hoshi took her panties off.

"Locked. Just in case. If this works, don't tell anyone about this. I just wish it didn't involve…that."

"I know what you mean, but I can't see any other way out of this." Hoshi came over to T'Pol, kissed her, and started to help her out of her catsuit. "Then again, with our luck, Phlox might have prescribed this. Don't worry, T'Pol. If it works, I won't tell anybody. And if it doesn't…"

"I know, Hoshi, I shall go out with a bang."

"T'Pol, we have both been hanging around Commander Tucker too much."

8

8

T'Zara said, without a hint of emotion, "Suffice it to say, Ensign, your plan worked. I commend you." She turned to T'Pol. "How often are you upstaged by these humans, T'Pol? Is your logic failing you that miserably?"

"Don't worry about my logic, T'Zara. I wouldn't be here now if my logic wasn't working properly."

8

8

Sitting naked at her computer, Hoshi said, "The gas is almost gone, but everyone is still asleep. And Porthos looks ok from here, Thank God." She got up and crossed to the bed. "I guess that stuff must be really strong, if no one woke up despite how loud you were."

T'Pol was lying face down naked on Hoshi's bed. "We should not wait too long before trying to wake people, though we should be rested. Scan your genitals. I want to be sure you were not damaged."

"I think everything's fine. But just in case…" She scanned her crotch. "Nope, all good. I've had rougher than that anyway."

"From a human!?"

"Mmm-hmm." Hoshi put the tricorder on the table, then lay down next to T'Pol. "Your color looks better and you sound more like normal. How do you feel?"

"The madness hasn't gone, but it has subsided considerably. I believe I can retain control."

"Good, because I don't think I could take much more." Hoshi sighed. "I'm giving up sex after all this is over."

"Why?"

"Why? I don't get anything for months and then BAM!-my life becomes a lesbian porno. That's too much. I'm done. I'll have all my kids in vitro and retire Miss Kitty."

"No, go to Risa first. Then decide about…Miss Kitty's employment."

"Go to Risa and get laid? After this?"

"I suggested Risa to reduce the crew's stress levels. Is your stress level reduced even after all the encounters you have had in the past 24 hours?"

"Not really."

"There you are."

"Ok, if my name gets on the list, I'll go! But I'm not going to look for it."

"You won't have to, Hoshi." T'Pol lowered her voice to a whisper. "Share this with no one: there's a little open-air café three blocks east of the spaceport. You just go down the main street and turn right at the third intersection and you run into it. Just hang out there. 'It' will find you. You won't be disappointed." T'Pol wiggled her eyebrows.

"How would you…wait, Leena said….T'Pol!"

"I've had several pon farrs and I'm neither married nor dead, Hoshi. How do you think I pulled that off?"

"You old dog."

"I suppose I am. I am in my sixties in Earth years."

"So you're my first cougar."

"I'm honored. So what happened with Chloe?"

"Hmm?"

"Your story about your former lover. You didn't get to the end of it."

"What you'd expect. She went to California and ultimately became an A-list porn star. I stayed in Montreal. I danced until I graduated from McGill, and hung up my dancing shoes when I went to Brazil for my post-graduate work."

T'Pol saw the pain in Hoshi's eyes and wanted to change the subject. She nodded to the dildo on the night table. "It is fortunate you had that implement."

"Yeah, and I almost didn't buy it. I was buying all new…implements because we would be away or a long time and I wanted to, ah, anticipate all my needs. I went back and forth and I thought, 'Who knows what's out there,' right? And yeah, we lucked out. I mean, if I hadn't been in a suit and if I hadn't had that bad boy, you'd either be pushing up daises or guilty over raping some poor guy. Let's hope if anyone gasses us again it's not fatal to Vulcans."

T'Pol sat up in bed. "That's a point. How could they have got it?" She got out of bed and sat at the computer console.

Hoshi sat up. "T'Pol? What is it?"

"Now that my brains aren't being fried in the antimatter reactor, I can see there's something familiar about all this. Cross referencing…" She froze. Her hands flopped down to her lap. "Damn it."

"T'Pol, what's wrong?"

"I know what this gas is, Hoshi. I know where it comes from. There's only one way Tauriel could have got his hands on it. And for the first time in my life, I am hoping my logic is wrong."

8

8

T'Pol reached down into her cat suit and pulled out a small metal disk. The force field went down as other Vulcan officers entered the cell. T'Pol went to stand by a gray-haired Vulcan man outside the cell and handed the man the disk.

T'Zara said, "Sub-Commander Sorkan. You will probably get your own command for this. It is long overdue."

Sorkan ignored T'Zara. "Search her thoroughly," he ordered the other men in the cell. "She may have devices on her person to allow her to immolate herself." Zorkan turned to T'Pol and Hoshi. "There may be a technology combability issue. Some of the audio may be garbled. But I feel confident anything pertinent to her crimes will be saved."

T'Pol said, "Thank you."

Sorkan turned and left the brig. T'Pol lingered, her eyes on T'Zara. T'Zara, for her part, ignored T'Pol.

T'Pol exchanged glances with Hoshi. Then they turned and left the brig.


	10. Chapter 10

'Captain's Starlog: Supplemental. Doctor Phlox reports that Sub-Commander T'Pol has not suffered any permanent injury as a result of the severe allergic reaction she had to the tranquilizing gas. She is expected to make a full recovery. The Argelian government has extended its apologies. Apparently, they license "legitimate" troops, but Tauriel's group was part of a criminal element that preys on unwary travelers. The *Vorka* has taken the *Aniel's* crew into custody and will transport them to their home world. We have resumed course for Risa. I hope the rest of the voyage is uneventful.'

8

8

Hoshi paced back and forth in her cabin. Then her console beeped.

She sat her desk and tabbed a control. Karen appeared on the screen.

Karen said, "Your call has gone through, Hoshi."

"Thanks, Karen."

Karen left the screen, replaced by a woman with curly blonde hair about Hoshi's age. "Hello?" She spoke with a French accent. "Hoshi?" Her eyes went wide and she smiled. "Hoshi fucking Sato? Oh, my god! Is it you?"

Hoshi smiled back. "Hi, Chloe."

"Oh my god! When they said someone at Starfleet wanted to talk to me, I never dreamed it would be you. Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine, Chloe. I just felt like catching up. Seeing how you're doing."

"Well, I'm not in front of the camera as much anymore, and I'll probably retire from the business in a few years. But look at you! I am so proud of you, Hoshi. Every night I look at the stars and wonder which one you're at and…" She turned somber. "…I have to say this: I am so, so, terribly sorry for the things I said that night. I should have been more supportive. I shouldn't have kicked you out. I must have started a hundred letters but I never had the courage to finish them."

"Well, that's a hundred more letters than I started. And sometimes, I wonder about the road not taken."

"Doing what? Doing what I wanted? No, I remember the night you helped out that Vulcan guy, how your eyes lit up when you knew you could help him. You never would have been happy following me around. You had to do what was right for you. I only wish I hadn't been such an asshole. Can you forgive me?"

"Well…ok."

"Good! So tell me. How's life on that starship? Make any friends, or…anyone special?"

"I have some friends, yeah. The crew is awesome."

"How's that Vulcan? I hear she's a real bitch."

"She's not so bad when you get to know her. She's part of the crew; any one of us would take a bullet for her."

"And that's all?"

"We meditate together. She's helped me with some of my anxieties. There's really a lot to admire about her."

"There must be if you're praising her. Can I see a picture of her?"

Hoshi tabbed her console. "Sending now."

Chloe looked at something on her end and gawked. "Wow, she's gorgeous! And you two are just friends? Because I don't believe for a minute they only do it once every seven years. Some say yes and some say no. What's the truth, Hoshi?"

"I'd tell you, Chloe, but I'd have to kill you."

Chloe laughed. "Ok! I'll leave it at that…for now. How long before you get back to Earth?"

"A long time."

"Well, when you get back, we'll have a girl's night out, and bring your lady Vulcan friend. We'll hit the shops on Rodeo Drive, get her all glammed up, and then hit the clubs."

"I don't know if that's her scene."

"Honey, she'll own the scene when we're done with her. Trust me, there won't be any ant—" Chloe looked off to her side, then back. "Sorry, Sweetie. Duty calls. But write to me! And I will see you and your lady Vulcan after you get back to Earth!" She blew Hoshi a kiss and the screen blanked.

8

8

Dressed in her pajamas, T'Pol knelt on the pillow on the floor of her cabin and studied the hologram floating before her. It was of her and T'Zara wearing uniforms of Vulcan intelligence. Of course they didn't look any younger, and of course they were stone-faced.

The door chimed.

"Come in," T'Pol called.

The door open and Hoshi came in, dressed in a tank top and sweat pants and wearing sneakers. "Hi."

"Ensign."

"Captain let me out of the dog house. He said since I've already been dead, house arrest wouldn't matter." Hoshi knelt next to T'Pol. "Happier times?"

T'Pol stared at the hologram, then said, "You could say that." She turned off the small projector and the hologram vanished. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"I just wanted to see if you were ok."

"I…will be better. How are you?"

"Ok."

"Hoshi, the things I said-"

"You weren't yourself."

"In some ways no, in some ways, yes. Before the Awakening, when Vulcan men fought for their mates, Vulcan woman had tremendous power over mating, and some delighted in cruelty, towards both their suitors and women they considered rivals."

"That Princess T'Linn you mentioned. Sounds like a real whack job."

"I am a direct descendant of hers. I even look like her from the statues I've seen."

"Oh. Open mouth, insert foot."

"No, you were right. She was a 'whack job,' and her blood runs through my veins. I could have killed you. You were extremely brave. I can only imagine what you think of me now."

"T'Pol, I have a hunch that on her best day, T'Linn would not be half the person you are. You could have killed me but you didn't. And we got through it together. And…I'm going to take your advice about Risa."

"Oh. So between Risa and…recent events, you may not want…intimacy right now?"

"Is this your way of asking me if I want to cuddle?"

"I think I could have someone hold me when I meditate, yes. If it's not too much trouble."

"Well, I was going to the gym, but that's not going anywhere. Can I pick the music?"

"Of course. And I'll get the incense."

8

8

This time, T'Pol lay on her back with Hoshi half on top of her, T'Pol's arms draped around the young woman.

Hoshi said, "I spoke to Chloe a few minutes ago."

"Indeed?" T'Pol said. "How is she?"

"All right. We…patched things up. And we've been invited to a girl's night out when we get back to Earth."

"I'm afraid you will have to contact her again and give her my regrets."

"I'm afraid you don't know Chloe. You'd have better luck getting out of movie night…fifty times in a row."

"Only fifty?"

"In other words, it's virtually impossible. Don't worry. I'll get you through it. Compared to your 'allergy,' it will be nothing."

"In that case, Hoshi, I accept."

"Good-"

The door chimed. Trip's voice called, "T'Pol?"

T'Pol wondered, "What does he want?"

Hoshi's eyes had shut. "I have no idea," she murmured.

Trip again: "T'Pol?"

T'Pol shouted, "GO AWAY!"

Hoshi chuckled.

"What!?" Trip yelped. "Is everything ok in there?"

Hoshi laughed softly. "Are you trying to freak the poor guy out?"

"As first officer," T'Pol deadpanned, "it is my duty to keep the crew…'on their toes.' But perhaps we should see what he wants." Louder: "Come in, Trip!"

Trip entered and scowled. "You ok, Sub-Commander? Over that allergic reaction? Should Phlox have a look at you?"

"I'm fine, Commander," T'Pol said. "Just maybe a little relaxed. Hoshi and I are cuddling-"

"'-and meditating' again," Trip finished. "This a thing now?"

Hoshi said, "Hope so."

"Uh-huh," Tripp said. "You guys sure you aren't breaking regulations?"

T'Pol said, "As our contact is not sexual in nature, regulations can give us a wide latitude. You are welcome to join us."

Trip made a face. "Cuddling? Just cuddling? Yeuh! Too weird for me. That's your thing, you're welcome to it. Anyway…T'Pol. With all due respect, could you please do with fewer candles? The life support system isn't happy with the carbon monoxide level in here. It's right on the line. No disrespect to your culture, but a few less, please?"

"Of course, Commander. I will attend to it in the morning."

"Ok. And Hoshi? Suit storage is still going apeshit about the suit UT's."

"Oh, right, forgot all about it while I was faking my death. Remind me in the morning and I'll get on it."

"All I ask. Good night, ladies." He left.

Hoshi asked, "So how are things going with Trip?"

"Well, I suppose," T'Pol said. "Why do you ask?"

Hoshi pitched her voice lower: "Because back in my room, you kept calling his name."

"I did?"

"Mmm-hmm. Screamed it, actually."

"I don't recall that."

"I'll never forget it."

"I hope you weren't offended."

"Nah. We're good."

"Good." T'Pol closed her eyes and relaxed. "It has been a fascinating couple of days."

"Fascinating? Try totally nuts."

"Indeed. I believe the human expression is, 'Someday we will look back on this and laugh.'"

"We probably will, T'Pol. Well, I will anyway."

"In that case, Hoshi, perhaps you can laugh for both of us."

THE END


End file.
